Monday, January 31, 2011

Coincidentally, I was just thinking about the game Mastermind the other day... and specifically, how terrible I was at it as a child. It required logic and patience, two things I don't have a lot of now and certainly didn't back then. However, I did enjoy making colorful patterns on the board with the pegs, so I guess it's fun for everyone, in a way.

Get a free Mastermind game with 2 qualifying UPCs and $1.95 shipping/handling. This was a cereal box promotion, but the site where I found this offer gave two sample UPCs that work:

Friday, January 28, 2011

Mark your calendars, Seattle cupcake lovers: the legendary Cupcake Royale Deathcake (some sort of ultra-chocolatey Valentine's day confection) is back, and you can sample it for free on Feb. 3 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm! Visit the Capitol Hill or Bellevue locations to sample the cake and Stumptown coffee, and watch cake-frosting demonstrations. I may just have to stop by on my way home that day...

It really is the week of magazine subscription deals... now Amazon has a new magazine sale, where you can pick two subscriptions for $15 total. The discount will show up in your cart when you purchase two qualifying subscriptions in one transaction.

The catch is, several of these titles are magazines that frequently go on sale for $7 or even $5 per subscription at other times... so I don't know that this is really the best deal for all of these. But for titles like Popular Science or Reader's Digest, which tend not to be on super-cheap sales much, this could be a winner.

I have to say, I'm not entirely sure why Tanga is so coy with their magazine subscription deals. It's not like anyone is going to go to the site and say, "Awesome, I was just thinking how much I wanted to pay $40 for a subscription to FLEX magazine!" and then be all surprised when they discover a promo code that makes it $3. I just don't get it.

Panda Express is celebrating the Lunar New Year, sort of, with a coupon for a free Firecracker Chicken Breast! It's actually the Year of the Rabbit, but maybe it's not practical to give away bunny steaks at every location.

Tanga is on fire this week with magazine deals - today's is for Inc. magazine, and you can get a one-year subscription for just $3. Use promo code BUSINESS to make the discount show up when you check out.

I've used Tanga for magazine deals before and had no problems, so rest assured it's for reals and not some weird scammy thing!

Not to be outdone, Hearst Magazines is offering a ton of subscriptions for just $5. But be aware that some of those are for partial-year subscriptions, so be sure to check the number of issues before you decide.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

If you've stopped by here before, you know that I post Borders coupons pretty regularly, because they send out coupons for 30%, 33%, and 40% off quite frequently. To use those coupons, you have to sign up for their FREE Borders Rewards membership, but lately I've noticed that they've been pushing a ramped-up $20 premium membership when you check out in stores. This extra level entitles you to discounts on every purchase, free shipping on their website, and some other perks that I forget because they're not worth it.

Consumerist has a story about a Borders employee admitting that management is forcing them to push these fancy memberships — which, of course, have no value if/when the company goes into bankruptcy and shuts its doors. Buy half-off gift cards from Amazon instead.

This one's been floating around the Internets for about a day, but I was a little dubious at first — however, it seems to be the real deal, so maybe Amazon was just tired of making all the money in the world. Anyway, pay $10 and get a $20 Amazon e-gift card* (really just a promo code), which does not expire.

Since I order stuff from Amazon seemingly every other week, I figured I can definitely use it. It's not exactly a freebie, but still a pretty sweet bargain.

*Full disclosure: that's my referral link, which may give me a discount if enough people clickthrough and buy. But I still think it's a great deal.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

If you're the kind of person who's constantly going through umbrellas - or if you just hate the idea of spending money on them - then this offer should appeal to you: get a free umbrella when you spend $10 at Cost Plus! You can see it in the lower right-hand corner of the ad, and it's actually pretty cute, with a bold black-and-white graphic floral design. One bottle of Framboise and you'll be singin' in the rain...

Here's another magazine deal from Amazon... just $3 for a one-year Redbook subscription! (Again, make sure you pick the non-auto-renewal option that just says "12 issues.") If you're a current subscriber, they'll just tack the extra 12 months on to the end of your existing subscription.

It looks like $8 at first, but if you look underneath the product image at the "Special Offers" section, you'll see that an extra $5 off discount comes off automatically at checkout. What a deal!

The holidays are over, so now it's time to treat yourself: get a one-year subscription to Cosmopolitan for $5! (Note: make sure to choose the first option, for a regular subscription, NOT the auto-renewal.) I could have used some trashy magazines while cooling my heels in the airport this weekend... it would have soothed my disappointment at not getting the extra-special probe from security.

Boy, you leave town for one lousy holiday weekend and all hell breaks loose! The HTN is on hiatus today while inboxes are shoveled out and composted, but I do have one treat for you: 33% off at Borders, good through Jan. 20.

If you earned Borders Bucks with all your holiday coupon shopping, you could very well have some store credit that must be used in the month of January, so it's worth logging in at Borders.com to see if that's the case. Coupons can be used in conjunction with Borders Bucks, so keep the savings rolling!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

This one is for those who aren't afraid to commit... possibly the longest subscription offer I've ever seen. Get a 3-year subscription to Rolling Stone for $9.99 with promo code STONE. This is good today only, so if you want three years of oversized magazines stuffed into your mailbox, act fast!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Itching for a winter getaway to somewhere warmer - or just somewhere away? JetBlue is having a fare sale this week, with fares starting at just $39 one-way. They never seem to have any great destinations out of Seattle, but I guess we're not a big hub for them. If you're flying out of Boston or NYC, though, you've got options!

Getting ready to hunker down before the next snowstorm hits? You'll need some entertainment to avoid cabin fever, so why not trudge over to Borders to get yourself something at 33% off (good through Jan. 13). Personally, I've been tearing through a big stack of trashy suspense serial-killer novels and loving every creepy minute of it. There is a time for great literature, and there is a time for books with metallic bloody knives on the cover. I think you know which this is.

Monday, January 10, 2011

I wasn't going to post this John Frieda/Kroger sample because it was only available in a few states, but since Heyitsfree.net has kindly gone to the trouble of posting all the links for all the states, I may as well!

Once you get there, the actual freebie offer is for one of five different hair products, including 'poo and conditioner, straightening serum, root-volume booster, and some other stuff. I like John Frieda products and these packets are the perfect size for a weekend trip when you want to travel light.

Restaurant.com also wants to sabotage your New Year's resolutions by making it easier and cheaper to dine at your favorite local restaurants. I've written about the details before if you want to find out how it all works, but basically you're buying $25-off discount coupons for $2.

The current code is SPOON, and it's good through Jan. 13, so why not try a new restaurant this year? Waistlines are overrated.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Sorry, folks, but there is NOTHING going on in the freebieverse today. The only sad scrap I even have to offer is a "new" Borders coupon for 33% off (as in, they sent this to me yesterday, but we already had one that was good through the same date, Jan. 10).

This does give me a chance to remind you, though, that if you were shopping at Borders during the holiday season, you may very well have accumulated some Borders Bucks (i.e., store credit) that has to be spent in January. You should have received an email, but you can double-check by logging in at Borders.com with your Rewards account number and checking your account summary.

I have a whopping $5 in store credit to use this month, so now I'm pondering how best to squander my free money... but I'm definitely getting at least 33% off.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

New Year's resolutions be damned! Cupcake Royale wants you to cram one of their Velvet Elvis cupcakes (banana, chocolate, and peanut butter) into your face this weekend for FREE (with the purchase of a beverage). Just print out the coupon or show it on your mobile device, and you're good to go.

Personally, I have no problem with plain old sugar, but for you alternative-sweetener enthusiasts, here's a new one: Steviacane! Sign up for your free sample on their Facebook page, no "like" needed. Unless you really do like it, I guess.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

It's been a while since I talked about Opinion Outpost (full disclosure: that's my referral link), so I thought I'd mention it for newer readers who may not have seen it, or other survey sites, before.

Basically, it's a survey site that's free to join, and you can earn cash, Citi gift cards, OR Amazon e-certificates (which are redeemable instantly and are my favorite). You earn points for completing surveys - and a small number of points if you try but are ineligible. A typical survey might take 15 minutes to do and get you 20 points, or $2, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up pretty quickly. They tailor the survey invitations you get to your lifestyle and interests, and sometimes you get to do fun things, like test beauty products or food and give them feedback on how you liked them.

There are plenty of other good survey sites besides Opinion Outpost out there if you look for them, many that pay in cash. Note: a legitimate site will never charge you to join up, will explain its rewards system clearly, and won't require you to participate in any "special offers" or "premium memberships." If you're going to waste time in front of your computer, you might as well be making money, right?

Lego nerds, here's one for you: a free two-year subscription to Lego Club Magazine (kids under 7 will get Lego Club Jr. magazine instead). If I had to guess, I'd say it might have one how-to project article per issue, and the rest is ads for awesome new collect-them-all Lego sets... but hey, maybe that's your thing. Anyway, it's there if you want it.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Did you sign up for your free Chik-fil-a Spicy Chicken Biscuit yet? If not, the promotion starts today and goes through January 8. Sign up for your free coupon by picking a date, then print off your "reservation" and take that to a participating location.

So much for those healthy resolutions! It's going to be a week of fast food, I can just tell.

Start the new year off the healthy way... with a hot 'n' greasy order of Waffle House hash browns for free! Just use the coupon before January 15 and golden-fried deliciousness can be yours (unless you live in WA, where we don't have one, sigh).